AN: HEY YO YO YO YO YO THIS ONLY VAGUELY FITS THE PROMPT BUT I LOVE IT SO HERE
Day Five : Dream : Third Person
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"I ask you, what kind of idiot uses Ghost Zone shit in an alchemy potion. Actually- No. What idiot even does alchemy?! This is why we worried, Andy! THIS IS WHY!" Seeing his yelling was getting nowhere with his unconscious brother, Randy sighed and dragged his hands down his face. "Stupid little brother. Who puts himself into a coma attempting alchemy?"
Danny pointed at the slumbering Andrew. "Him. He puts himself in a coma."
Randy slowly turned his glare to Danny. "Thank you for the comment, oh brilliant one. Any other deductions you would like to add?"
"...Two. One, I think he's asleep. Two, you're a dick."
"And yet, you love me anyways," Randy smiled cheerfully. "And it is a coma. I tried stabbing him with his knife. Multiple times. He'll heal quickly though. Probably."
Danny sighed, shaking his head. "God dammit, Randy... Any idea how to wake him up?"
"Well, besides stabbing him, we could always overshadow him and go into his dreams," Randy snorted, rolling his eyes. "Other than that, though, I really don't...don't...what the hell are you doing?"
"Something I did a few episodes ago. Hush."
"...You know we're not supposed to break the fourth wall, you shit. Now, what the hell are you doing?!"
He shrugged. "You said to overshadow him and go in his dreams. What do you think I'm doing?"
"It. Was. A. Joke. Jesus fucking Christ you little gremlin do you not understand jokes?! That is literally the worst idea ever! As older brother, I demand you stop doing stupid shit right this instant!"
Danny turned intangible, giving Randy a grin. "Too late!" Before he could be stopped, he fell into Andrew's mind, looking around curiously.
Everything was gray and just... bland. It was like there wasn't anything. Had he screwed something up? In a flash, he was standing inside a room that was a washed out pink he hadn't expected. It was sprawled out and messy, more something fit for his mind than Andrew's, really. The carpet was entirely coated by crumpled papers of scratched out words that might have once been poems.
Journals were tossed around liberally and coated with pencil marks and scratches and torn out pages, stacked everywhere and anywhere. What looked like pictures and postcards also filled the room, some of them looking blurry and hard to distinguish. The windows, he noticed, were showing a dark gray sky with a swirling snow storm.
In the center of the room was Andrew, curled in on himself and nervously fidgeting.
Furrowing his brow, Danny stepped closer towards him. "Andrew? Hey, are you alright? What's going on?"
"I- Sorry, for- I- I didn't mean for it to happen- I mean, causing this trouble and mess and having you get stuck with cleaning it up- And- Sorry..." Trailing off, Andrew's gaze darted to the floor, shoulders hunched over again as he nervously picked up loose papers and journals.
Danny gaze him a small, nervous grin. "It- It's fine. You put up with me enough... Are you okay?" In a flash, Andrew had dropped the papers and notebooks and turned to Danny with watery eyes, entire expression showing defeat.
"But it's not fine! I completely screwed everything up because I was being an idiot! Randy's right to always call me that because all I seem to do is screw things up! Now not only did I put myself into this mess, I dragged you down with me!"
He took a step back. This wasn't the Andrew he knew. Did that alchemy do something to him? Was this a dream? "No, no, it's fine, I..." He smiled. "I'm gonna fix it!" Even as he spoke, he noticed the room seemed to be...changing. The bright color was changing for something brighter, paired with another color that seemed to clash horribly.
"What if I can't be fixed! What if I never wake up and it all goes horribly wrong and what if you're stuck in here with me?! I already drag you down enough and now I've stuck you in this mess!" The crumpled up papers had faded into papers that were torn and scratched through. Broken pens and quills had taken the place of the notebooks, and the snow storm outside had been replaced with a raging thunderstorm, glass rattling with the force of it.
He frowned, holding his hands out in defense. "Andrew, just... just calm down." If he controlled this place, and he didn't calm down, he'd be taking this place out, along with them. Something told Danny that wouldn't end well.
In contrast to his words, Andrew only clenched his fists and huffed, eyes narrowing into a glare. "What's the point of being calm when I'm always messing up?! This isn't the first time I've put myself and others in danger due to my stupid mistakes! How can you fix this when I'm the one that's broken?!"
"But you're- But you're not! Really! You're not!" But the way he was acting now... it was hard for Danny to be so sure of himself. Now would really be a good time to have some of that confidence Andrew always had. Stupid French people. "Why are you acting so... different?"
As he spoke, the colors of the room changed to bold and bright colors, aged and worn posters and flyers coating the walls which were filled with motivational quotes. In the middle of it, Andrew seemed dazed for a few seconds before he shook his head, "Ah, désolé, mon cher. I seem to have gotten myself in quite the predicament this time around, and of course you, as my dashing hero, had to come and help."
Seeing an Andrew that wasn't freaking out, he gave a sigh of relief. "Andrew, what's going on? Why are you being so weird?"
"Weird is a matter of opinion, mon douce fantôme," Andrew hummed, flying over to press a sweet kiss to the other's forehead. "It seems we've found ourselves in the rather troublesome situation of us two being stuck in my mind. You seem to be running into different facets of my personality - some more troublesome than others, I'll assume." Pausing again, he lightly nuzzled Danny's cheek, pressing another sweet kiss there.
Danny smiled at the affection, wrapping his arms around Andrew's neck. "I guess you could say that... You know, I'm kinda surprised there isn't a bed in here, with how much time we spend there."
In a flash Andrew was blushing brightly, the colors of the room changing into cool, but somehow warm, blue colors. "You know, I used to remember you being a lot more shy."
He gave a grin. "And I seem to remember you having a stick up your ass, but I took care of that." The flustered blush grew even worse, Andrew giving a quiet whine and hiding his face in Danny's shoulder.
"You've become so shameless." Photo albums were scattered around everywhere, and windows showed a foggy spring morning with the sun just starting to rise. In the center of the room was a book centered on the table, a familiar copy of 'The Fright Before Christmas 2'.
"You need more shame. We balance well." He hummed, untangling himself from Andrew and flying over to the table, picking up the book. "Really? This thing?"
"As you were told, each version of me you met, and each room, is a different personality. We all share memories of what happens in here, and of you," Andrew explained, voice quiet, but small smile on his face. "I happen to be Surprise, so of course that book would be here. You were definitely the most surprising thing to happen."
"But I'm also the best!" He gave a wicked smirk. "Does that mean I can find stuff in here to blackmail real you later, and find your old writing Randy told me about?"
"I'm afraid you rather missed that chance, since it would have been with Embarrassment, who you met first," Andrew chuckled, flying over and hesitantly hovering near Danny, fidgeting with his sleeves.
Danny looked down at the sleeves, frowning. "Where's your coat? I thought you obsessed over that thing?"
"Mm, I suppose I found something better to obsess over, now didn't I?" Andrew asked, wrapping himself around Danny and sweetly nuzzling into his neck. As the blue colors faded into a cool purple, the room changed to show something that looked like a room out of Vidya, as well as filled with books and, strangely enough, things that reminded Danny of himself.
He looked back to Andrew with a smile, raising an eyebrow. "What are you, Obsession?"
"Oui, mon cher," Andrew lightly hummed, pressing a kiss to the other's jaw and pulling him in close. "I believe I once told you this, but I have two obsessions. Writing, and you. Always, forever, you." The declaration was accompanied by a featherlight kiss to his lips.
He gave a laugh. "Then are you going to be waking up, anytime soon?" A glance towards the windows showed the scenery of the Ghost Zone.
"Mm, I could...but I think I would much rather spend my time with you." Scooping up Danny, he flew them to the couch that was pressed against the wall, setting the other down first and then laying down on top of him, and hugging him close. "In here, we don't have to worry about being interrupted, or pulled away from each other." The words were soft and gentle, and being paired with sweet kisses and touches. "I can have you all to myself."
He gave a nervous chuckle. "Andrew, come on... You gotta wake up. You can't just stay here forever."
"Mm, I could if I had you with me, mon cher."
His small smile faded to a worried frown. "Andrew, you're kinda starting to worry me." This... This Andrew was... he wasn't his Andrew. His Andrew would use his logic and reasoning to sort all of this out. If Andrew didn't want this to be fixed... What hope did he have in fixing it?
In a flash, Andrew was gone, and the room had completely changed once again. Gone was the cool purple and replaced with a melancholy feel that had him nervous and worried. There was a constant sound of rain outside, and a glance to the windows showed a dreary fall day. Countless journals littered the floors and tables, filled with reminders of what had gone wrong, what would go wrong, and what might go wrong.
Danny slowly got off the couch, hovering above the ground. "Andrew? ...Andrew, where are you?" He heard a faint sound from the corner of the room, just behind the bookshelf. He slowly walked to the bookshelf, looking behind it. "Andrew?"
"'M sorry." The man was curled up in the corner, arms around his knees and gaze on the ground.
He shook his head, sitting next to him. "What for? You don't have to be sorry."
"Yes I do...I'm always making things worse for you - more stressful. You put up with enough, you shouldn't have to deal with my messes- You should have to deal with things like - like that. I just... I'm sorry for everything."
"Andrew, I just said you don't have to be sorry. It's fine. Really." So he wasn't the best at reassuring. Sue him.
"It's not fine, Danny! I'm always causing you trouble- If you hadn't met me you'd probably be a lot better off! It was my fault you had to go back into the past and kill someone! You'd be better off if we had never met!"
Danny scoffed, standing up. "You really think that?! God, you are such an idiot! I'm in love with you, and nothing's going to change that. But this isn't you! Dammit, Ghostwriter, why can't you just get your shit together?!"
"That's real rich, coming from the one whose life is more of a mess than an assassin's." Andrew snapped, standing up as well. "You're already in college and you still haven't told your parents you're half ghost!" The colors of the room were once again changing, this time to a bright red. The floor was scattered with blunt, broken, and sharpened throwing knives, with various pictures posted to the walls - all with knife marks, and in some cases, knives.
Danny glared, hissing out. "At least I'm still alive, and not moping in the Ghost Zone like somebody! It took me crashing in here to get you to even come out of your stupid library!"
"Still alive, huh? Well I wonder whose fault it is that I'm dead." Andrew's fists were clenched at his side, and a glare on his face.
"You know I had no choice in that," Danny nearly screamed. "You saw how much that hurt!" This was all too similar to their first fight. Now, one of them was probably going to storm off. As if true to his thoughts, Andrew scoffed and turned on his heel, stalking off to the other side of the room and muttering vicious curses and swears under his breath.
Huffing, Danny turned on his heel, away from him, crossing his arms. Who needed him, anyways? He didn't need to spend time around that jerk. Eyes narrowed, he looked around the room, seeing a small picture of himself in the corner. It was faded, as though it hadn't seen the light of day in forever, though the knife marks that littered it were too many to count. His gaze was drawn to a more prominent part of the room that was already fading. Though he caught it in time to see that it was a rather large picture of Andrew, himself, with knife marks everywhere. Not an ounce of mercy must have been shown to the picture.
Soon the picture was gone, and the bright angry red was replaced with a deep, dark black. The room was filled with lethal throwing knives and bottles of poison, as well as outfits strewn about that had once been meant as a disguise. Various fake crows were everywhere, some looking torn apart, and some looking to be in midflight. All eyes were trained on the two of them, however.
"No choice, and yet you didn't even think to try another way, did you? It was all something you 'had to do'. You could have just left. Found a time portal back. No one forced you to kill me- That was all you."
Hearing the ice in his tone, Danny's fist clenched. "You... someone would have, either way. I thought you understood why I did it." He wasn't used to this cold fury. Was this even Andrew? He couldn't be sure anymore.
"Your words defend yourself, don't you think? Or rather, they don't... You said yourself someone else would have... So why didn't you let history take it's course, instead of stepping in? It's not like you're a real timekeeper, after all... You're not even a real ghost. Just a lab experiment."
Danny shook his head, trying to get the words out of his ears. "No... no you're wrong! I'm more than just a freaky experiment! I'm a hero! I've saved people's lives!" It was the same thing he told himself everyday, after all. It had to be true.
"And how many lives have been lost due to your heroics. How many people have gotten in the way of those fights, have gotten hurt because you refuse to let the trained hunters deal with it. How many lives have you destroyed... Your friends, your sister, anyone who gets close to you, really... A hero? More like a villain, if you ask me. After all... Death mongers are good at telling each other apart."
"At least I know that when it happens, it's wrong!"
"At least I'm not the one who wants death. You're not even strong enough to go after that, are you? Always backing away at the last second. What's the good of even being alive when it comes to you, mon cher."
Danny let out a shuddering breath, shaking his head frantically. "No. No, no, no, you're wrong, you... no, no, no..." He backed up against the wall, feeling tears slip freely down his face as he slid down against it, curling up. He was right, though. Everything would be so much easier if he was dead. No more hiding his secret if there was no secret to hide. And he wouldn't have to keep aging while Andrew stayed forever the same. He looked back up at Andrew, the one who knew him better than he knew himself, and was surprised by the sight.
The man looked horrified, even with the room still a deep black and not having changed a bit, he looked utterly, completely, terrified. In a flash the room had changed to something different, and Andrew disappeared from in front of him.
The deep black had faded into swirling colors that resembled moving objects and shadows, and held a lingering sense of being watched. A maze of bookshelves filled the room, filled and stacked with countless worries and fears. Every so often flickering flames were seen, as well as a glint of flashing steel. Windows themselves showed nothing but a pitch black night, no stars or moons in sight.
Danny rubbed at his eyes, scrubbing away the tears as he looked around. Andrew was nowhere in sight, and he had a sinking feeling it would take a while to find him. He took a moment to compose himself, holding his tail to his chest as he floated upwards, and around and through the shelves. "Andrew," he weakly called out. "Where are you?" Even if his mate was a prick... he still needed him.
He heard a quiet noise from a few shelves down, and flew over to see Andrew panickedly backed against a wall, terrified expression still on his face, and looking more scared than Danny had ever seen him.
Danny hesitantly floated towards him, putting a hand out on instinct. "Andrew?"
The other flinched back and away from the hand, tucking himself closer to the wall, and slowly sliding down. "I know you have every right to...but please don't be afraid of me..." As he spoke, he seemed to be the one afraid of Danny, pressing himself even further away. "You should but I can't handle the thought of you fearing me and I never should- I never should have said those things! I never should have let-" Tears were falling down now, the room seeming to get even more oppressive.
"I know I don't deserve it...but please don't fear me..."
Danny shook his head, floating closer to Andrew and slowly bringing his hand to the other's face, watching as he flinched away. He pressed on, cupping Andrew's cheek and using his thumb to wipe away the tears. He had never... he had never seen Andrew cry. Despite the other's reaction, Danny pulled him into a hug, cuddling him close. "I could never be afraid of you."
"You should be." Andrew's voice was quiet, and utterly defeated. "You've seen my past, Danny... You should be utterly terrified of me, and all I've done. I've killed thousands, and I don't regret it...any of it... You should have ran the day I told you..."
Danny shook his head, pressing his face into Andrew's neck. "I can't. I wouldn't. I trust you, Andy. Always." It was a few long and silent seconds before Andrew was hugging him back just as tightly, clinging to him fiercely and tucking him under his chin.
"What did I ever do to deserve you..." The dark and quiet room was now bright and filled with summer sunlight. The room was filled with parchment that was aged and worn, faint red lines drawn through each line of words. Broken and shattered knives rested in every corner of the room, hidden under tables and rugs and just out of sight. Journals as well sat everywhere, each page etched with words over and over and over.
Danny gave him a smile as they parted, though they kept their hands intertwined. "You cared." He looked around the room curiously, looking down at the parchment. "Is this..."
"My orders," Andrew said simply, smiling at Danny as he gave him a feather light kiss to his cheek. "I was given a lot."
"I can tell." It was slightly unnerving, how much of it there was, and how much of it Andrew remembered. But then, he should have known that when he started dating a former assassin. "I don't suppose you're wanting to help me find my Andrew?"
"Silly Phantom, we're all yours. We're the same person, just...emotions in our purest forms, I suppose." Andrew was pressing a kiss to the top of Danny's head now, hand running through his hair. "I'm not sure how to explain what happened... Everything's...blurry. But if you want me to help you, I'll do what I can."
He smiled, hugging him. At least this one was more helpful than the last few had been. It almost felt like things were back to normal. If he closed his eyes, he could just pretend this was his normal Andrew. Happy, and exasperated, and a little annoyed, and always there for him.
Standing up, Andrew dragged Danny with him, letting him go as he went to stand in the middle of the room, slightly muttering under his breath. "Maybe if we can get you to the next emotion, they might know what's going on better. Or at least be able to explain it. Getting there, however, is up to you."
"What do you mean up to me? This is your mind." He craned his neck, trying to see what one of the journals said. He couldn't quite make it out from here.
"Haven't you noticed all the changes in us are triggered by what you say and feel?"
"I mean... I guess, but I thought that was because of you."
"Cores are linked, my dear mate," Andrew grinned, absently floating a few notebooks over to the other side of the room, near where Danny was. "Considering you're in my mind, we're linked more than we usually would be. It's why things have been so...erratic, I suppose."
He nodded. "Yeah, okay. That makes sense." He was finally able to see what the notebook said. "It's the right thing," he muttered.
"That's what I was told, at least." Arms behind his back now, and floating in the air, Andrew gave the other an absolutely trusting smile. "That's all we were ever told. That what we were doing was right. We were doing it for the good of our Order, and for the good of everyone. We were God's chosen messengers, sent to deliver the truth to the ones who wouldn't listen. Prophets meant to pass on the message...
"That's what we were told... Really, I think we were more messengers of hell, considering all we did... The worst part, I think, are the ones who believed it. The ones who believed every life stolen was for the good of the Lord, and the new heaven we were creating for Him. That's why I was called the Priest of Death... Because I was 'welcoming them home'." Trailing off for a few seconds, the man shook his head, small smile on his face.
"Really, I just think I was damning myself- But then...I have you, so I must have done something right, at one point."
Danny gave a nod, flying over and hugging him close. "I... I'm glad you told me. Really." The corners of his lips quirked up. "I like learning new things about you. It's nice."
"As you've probably figured by now, I'm the one meant to be Trust- Really, though, I only trust you, I think... Your Andrew, at least, would have told you all this, in due time. This little adventure just sped things up." Returning the hug, Andrew gave him a kiss to his forehead. "I don't know what I'd do without you..."
Danny laughed. "Probably get a lot more writing done." This was what he was used to. Nice, friendly, joke around Andrew. It felt nice. It felt normal.
"Hm, guess the emotion you're going to next is a little more dominant," Andrew hummed, looking down to see Danny fading from the room, Trust forever stuck to the one he was in. "Don't think about it too much, after all, we're all yours, right?"
"I think... yeah, maybe." He watched as the small reading corner of Vidya that had become his slowly appeared, and he smiled. There was his backpack on the floor at the end of the couch, there were his and Andrew's favorite books all over the tables and on the shelves. He could see the steam rising from the two cups of coffee on the table. Taking a sniff, he could smell the cookies that were baking, and he gave a smile. Looking out the windows, it was a warm summer afternoon. He turned his head, seeing Andrew reading on the couch.
"Salut, mon cher," Andrew smiled up at him, marking his place in the book and setting it down. "I take it by now, you've had quite the day, hm?"
"Wouldn't you know it?" He immediately flopped onto his couch, shooting Andrew a sunny grin. This was the Andrew he was used to. Relaxed, and quiet, and happy.
"Yes, I suppose it has been rather tiresome... In my defense, I really did not expect that outcome when working with those ingredients." Sitting up, he pulled Danny into his lap, gently running a hand through his hair. "Even in here your hair is a wreck...honestly."
"I blame you for that. I don't know how, but I do."
"Blame accepted," Andrew nodded, pressing a kiss to Danny's temple. "After the day you've been through, I certainly deserve blame... The potion seems to have gone...wrong. What seems to have happened is that it's sent my main self into a coma like sleep, separating my consciousness into different, and the most dominant, parts of personality into separate, and one feeling things. Memories shared between the emotions are rather fuzzy, so I'm not sure of who all you've quite met without you describing them."
He shook his head. "I don't know for sure. I think I saw all the bad ones. Unless you're hiding some others, you hellion. Besides that, I think the only goodish ones I met are embarrassment, confidence, trust, and you. What are you?"
"Goodish..." Andrew sighed, looking pained. "Why must you always torture me..."
"Because I love you." The response drew a smile out of him, Andrew shaking his head as he sighed again.
"Somehow I had a feeling that would be your answer... I'm Content, by the way. I suppose the 'bad' ones you met would have been Obsession, Fear, Anger, and Hate- I was rather hoping you wouldn't have met Hate, but...I suppose not..." The smile seemed to fall, Andrew looking dismal. "I really am sorry for what was said, Danny."
He shrugged. "Bridge under the water. Wait..." A quiet chuckle was heard before he continued. "Whatever, you know what I mean. I'm just glad I've got you back." More than glad, he was beyond overjoyed. After that hell, he deserved this. Now he just had to get Andrew to wake up...
"Not technically, actually..." Andrew nervously chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "You still have a few more emotions to go through- Good ones, though. You've already seen the twisted hell that is my mind, the rest was all influenced by you- As you've probably been able to tell."
"You are literally the worst tumblr blog."
"You would know, wouldn't you, mon cher?"
"Okay, you said you aren't my Andrew. You act like him." Andrew hummed, fingers gently tracing through the glove that hid Danny's scars on his left hand.
"I suppose so... I think you'll figure it out, given a few minutes. Trust did say I was one of the more dominant emotions, after all."
He bit his lip, trying to think. "Hm... nope. Still not- Oh. OH! Aww..." He wrapped his arms around Andrew, grinning and giggling. This wasn't his Andrew, but it was Andrew. But then... all of them were sort of his.
The room changed again, and Danny found himself sitting alone on the couch, a gentle humming drawing his attention to the part of the room that faded into a bright yellow kitchen, the smell of cookies almost overwhelming, and drowning out a scent that just couldn't be placed.
"You're almost through all the emotions now, you know- Sorry it's been such a long day, but you need to see all of us before you can find the 'main' Andrew, so to speak." The current Andrew explained from the kitchen, using oven mitts to pull out a pan of freshly baked cookies. "There should be only one left, after me- I'm Joy, by the way. Cookie?"
Danny grinned. "Do you even have to ask?" He took one straight from the pan with a smile.
"You know, it's probably a good thing you have ice powers," Andrew snorted, leaning against the counter as he watched Danny with a fond smile. "Mother would have smacked your hand away."
"Ice powers are the besterest."
"You small demon."
He took a bite of the cookie, grinning as he looked down at it. "It's just like Clockwork's!"
"That would be him and his time shenanigans," Andrew snorted, ruffling Danny's hair and trying to tame it into some form of order. "He uses his powers to make them taste like Mother's- Something about how they're the only ones you'll eat- Strange, though..." Trailing off, he gave a slight frown. "They shouldn't taste like hers...I never could get the recipe just right."
"Well, it tastes perfect."
"Hm, well, I'm glad you like them," Andrew smiled, brushing a kiss to Danny's forehead. "I'll have to make you some when we get through this mess- Which should be over soon. It's you who controls the changes, after all."
"That's what you keep saying." Licking the crumbs off his fingers, his nose wrinkled. "Is it just me, or do you smell... ice?" Andrew gave him a small smile, as if Danny already knew the answer and just wasn't remembering it.
"Remember that I'm Joy, and you should be able to figure it out, you bratty snow demon."
"...Oh. I... Oh." He gave a smile, and a nervous chuckle.
"I told you already," Andrew laughed, room already fading. "You influence so much of me...of course everything good here is a reminder of you."
Danny felt his face heat up as the room around him changed again, the color of the wall changing to cool pastels, and the books changing to either sappy and/or trashy romance novels and replicas of things Danny remembered giving to him over the years.
"I'm glad to see you're okay...I was worried about what would happen if you came in here to try and help." Andrew was across the room and hovering near a grand piano that was beneath a window that showed a stunning sunset, the warm colors washing over the room and giving it a loving feel. "Knowing you, I shouldn't have worried too much, I suppose... How are you feeling?"
"Surprisingly enough, emotionally drained. So, which one are you?" He sat down at the piano bench, looking up at Andrew with a weary smile.
"Hm, I think I might let you guess that one," Andrew hummed, taking a seat beside Danny and absently running his fingers across the keys, tune clear and pristine. "Any requests while we wait for this tiring day to end?"
Danny shrugged, leaning his head on Andrew's shoulder. "Whatever you want." Andrew nodded, and the tune turned into something sweet and soft, sounding remarkably similar to something Andrew had once sung to him during a rather terrible thunderstorm.
"Dare I ask what you learned about me today?"
Danny shook his head. "Please, no. Going through that once was bad enough."
The song paused for a moment and Andrew ran his hand through Danny's hair. "I think you may have to, mon cher." The song continued, and Andrew gave him an encouraging smile.
He sighed. "Well, I mean... you... you blame yourself for stuff, a lot." Andrew gave a nervous chuckle, shoulders a bit hunched in.
"I suppose I do have that habit quite a bit... Blaming myself." Fidgeting a bit, he glanced back to Danny quickly before returning his gaze to the piano. "What else?"
"You think... the worst is what's the truth." The song slowed down a bit, Andrew shooting him a confused look. "Well, like... Anxiety, right? You worry about everything."
"In...in a way, I suppose I do," Andrew mumbled quietly, giving a half shrug."It's more...I don't think I deserve other's worry, I suppose."
"Lies and slander. I worry about you just fine."
"I'd argue about the first part of that sentence, but stubborn as you are, I have no doubt you would argue back until you won," Andrew mused, tired and worn smile on his face. "Alright, what's next?"
Danny lazily wrapped an arm around Andrew. "Well, I mean... even if you care about how other people react, you're fine with you. You always know what to do."
"I wouldn't say always, but remarkably close," Andrew mused, pausing his song to pull Danny into a sweet kiss. "Thank you for the lovely words, mon cher."
He smiled with a laugh. Now, he was slowly starting to see his real Andrew. "Well, they're more than just words." He pulled Andrew back down into another kiss. After a second's startled pause, Andrew happily returned it, the faintest of blushes on his cheeks when they parted.
"Still unexpected as always."
He snickered, "You blushing is my favorite part."
"Brat."
"Nerd." He pulled himself into the other's lap. "Comfy nerd."
"Still not sure whether or not to find that insulting," Andrew hummed, leaning back slightly so the other could be more comfortable as he continued the song on the piano, which sounded muted and quiet and just plain peaceful in the room. "What else have you learned?"
He huffed at Andrew's shifting. "Things like that. You do these little things and try to be slick for me. And just... yeah."
"I wouldn't use the word slick," Andrew hummed, pressing a sweet kiss to the other's cheek. "More...that it's not often you get to relax, so I like to do what I can to make sure you get at least a little time to act your age. I'm assuming that's fifteen or so, considering your height."
"Oh. Wow. That was low. You know, that hurts, Andy." He put a hand to his chest. "Right here. Why don't you act your age?"
"You have my deepest and sincerest apologies, mon cher," Andrew grinned, adjusting their position again to where Danny was more tightly pressed against him. "I really did like the idea of keeping you here for a while longer..."
He rolled his eyes. "How about after you wake up?"
"Sounds delightful," Andrew chuckled, effortlessly switching songs into something a bit slower. "That still remains up to you, though. What else have you learned?"
Danny narrowed his eyes at his mate. "What is this, another Christmas poem? Did you do all of this for me to learn some lesson?"
"Ha, not quite," Andrew laughed, shaking his head. "Although that would have been a lot simpler than knocking myself unconscious, hm? No, it's just...whatever that potion did, it split who I am into who you've seen. It's complicated, and I'm not quite sure how to explain it... But I think me waking up relies on you, mon cher."
"Leave it to me to be the hero." He gave an over dramatic sigh. "You are such a damsel in distress."
"Luckily I have you to save me. Now, who did you meet after Obsession?"
"Uh, sadness, or something? I dunno... I mean, you think you put me through a lot, but I'm the one that drags you out of the library all the time."
"Which is a good thing, if you ask me. I really did need to get out more- Vidya probably would have found a way to kick me out if you hadn't shown up when you did," Andrew sighed, sorrowful tinge to his smile. "I think it's safe to say we both drag each other into our problems...but we at least help each other deal with them."
"Yeah, and you get pissed at whoever causes the problems, even if it's yourself." He laid against Andrew's chest with a hum. "You need to not. But keep being warm." He paused, looking back up at Andrew. "I saw my picture..."
Andrew sighed, a tinge of aggravation to the tone. "It's not that I'm angry at you, Danny, it's that I'm upset that you're so damn stubborn. Even if it's the most foolish plan that has ever graced this god forsaken hunk of a realm, you are determined to see it through, no matter what anyone else says." Pausing, he gave another sigh, slightly worn smile on his face again. "I'm not angry at you, just the fact you aren't more careful- Okay, well, I was angry at you- But that was our first Christmas, and my book was destroyed, and I was thrown in jail. I can hardly be blamed for that."
Danny nodded, trying not to make it too obvious he was clinging to him. "Yeah... and you can be a real jerk, when you want to be..." The song stopped, and Andrew cupped Danny's cheeks before tilting his head to where their foreheads were leaning against each other.
"Yes, I can be a jerk, but I never meant to be one to you...That... I was Hate, but I never meant to say those awful things to you, Danny. You saw what I felt before the room even changed. How horrified and terrified I was, of what I had done to you...of what I had said and made you feel... I hate my Order, and my past, and everything I've ever done wrong...but not you.
"Never you, mon cher."
Danny gave a small nod. "I... I never saw you cry, before." Andrew sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned against Danny, slight tremor in his shoulders.
"No, I suppose you haven't... I've managed to hide things far better than I care for, sometimes, but I think that's what I fear most...losing you, or having you fear me... That one day you'll realize just who I used to be- You already saw a glimpse, after all..."
"Yeah? Well... I guess I've been waiting for when you figure out who I can become..."
"I suppose we've both been hiding our own demons, hm?" Pulling Danny close to him, Andrew pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "When you met Trust, those were things I meant to tell you, and wanted to tell you, but could never figure out how... I suppose at least one good thing came of this mess."
He nodded, hugging Andrew closely. "Yeah... and I am glad you told me. The more I learn, the less surprised I get. I mean, my mate is an ex assassin that controls reality. You'd think nothing would surprise me." Andrew gave a laugh at that, shaking his head.
"You are ridiculous."
"I thought I was a demon."
"You might as well be," Andrew snorted, rolling his eyes and lightly scratching the other's scalp. "An irritating one that causes trouble wherever he goes. Still adorable and loveable, though."
"Cause I'm your demon." He smiled at the scratching. "I'm happy that you're so Content around me."
"Mm, Content was rather sappy," Andrew sighed, sounding regretful. "And here I hoped to keep my aloof nature."
Danny rose an eyebrow. "You had one?"
"Ha ha. I believe you only have two emotions left to go through, by the way."
"Yeah, well, I mean... I didn't really get Joy. Like I got it, but I didn't get it."
"It might help if you explain to me exactly what you didn't understand, mon cher."
"Well, like... everything but the cookies was about me. I thought I'd see more stuff about your family there."
"Danny... Joy might as well have been non existent before you crashed into my life. Yes I had memories of Mother and Randy, but they were...not always joyful, or happy ones. Everything with you, however... You might as well be my joy in it's entirety."
He buried his face in Andrew's chest, speaking around the sweater. "That was illegal."
"Good thing I don't care much about legality," Andrew hummed, cuddling Danny close to him, and smiling softly. "I believe you have only one more emotion to go through- One you still haven't guessed the name of."
He shrugged. "I dunno, Happiness? It's like some weird mashup of joy and contentment."
"Well, you're not wrong," Andrew chuckled, kissing Danny's cheek. "Why not try looking at the room more closely? The other rooms spoke of who my emotions were as well, if you'll remember."
Doing as he said, Danny looked around until realization struck him, and he gave Andrew a playful glare. "You sap."
"I suppose I am rather a sap," Andrew hummed, pulling Danny into a sweet and gentle kiss. "As you've probably guessed, this room didn't even exist before I met you."
"Nerd." He tugged on the scarf around his neck. "Are you going to wake up, now?"
"Only if you want me to, mon petit héros."
"Please?" In a moment, Danny found himself back in the real Vidya, Randy sitting a couple feet away, and looking surprised as Andrew stirred, the man slowly sitting up before groaning and placing a hand to his head.
"Holy shit, you actually did it," Randy grinned, slapping his brother on the back, who glared darkly. "See anything interesting while you were stuck in his head?"
The two looked at each other before Danny shrugged. "No, not really."
"So I'm not interesting, am I?"
"No, you're a dork. Also, I want cookies, now. Real cookies, not stupid poser dream cookies."
"I'm not even gonna ask," Randy sighed, shaking his head as he helped Andrew off the couch. "I really do not wanna know- I agree with the cookies though. Make them. Make them now."
"My mistake, I wasn't aware I was looking after children today."
"You're the one that said I should act my height, mon ange."
"You are both terrible people," Andrew rolled his eyes, blinking as he saw two stone lions wagging their tails and sitting behind Danny, hopeful expression on all of their faces. "...I am weak."
"When it comes to him? Remarkably so," Randy nodded, already heading towards the kitchen. "I bet all your dreams were sappy. Super sap from your poetry when you were thirteen sappy."
As Randy left the room, Danny wrapped his tail around Andrew's wrist. "Never speak of that again?"
"Mon cher, you needn't even ask."
WOOOO IT WAS AWESOME KAY BYE LOVE YOU KASENA OUT